The making of a Family
by ThePurpleSuperCow
Summary: Chap 1: Pitch is long gone and the original four Guardians have figured out a few things about Jack that make them see the eternal teen in a new light. The Man in the Moon couldn't be more happy or proud. Chap 2: Years after the guardians have come to call each other family, one of their number wonders why Jack never invited them home.
1. Chapter 1: The Making of a Family

For several hundred years, they've known each other. Several hundred years of working together and being friends. Several hundred years to realize they could all be a little more. All it took was one eternally youthful teenager to change that.

Jack was always playful, always hanging around. To one he was a nuisance, to another he was an annoyance, the third loved one aspect of him but never had time for the whole, and the last was unable to reach him. They all knew of Jack, but never got to know the wandering teen. That didn't stop Jack from making himself known. He worked hard to have fun, to show those stuffy Guardians that he didn't need them. He was fine, he was all he needed. He and the moon. For he was only seen, only acknowledged and appreciated by the moon and he appreciated his silent friend right back.

One day, the moon decided that the Guardians needed Jack, and Jack needed them. Jack would help them find what they lost and they would fill a need Jack didn't know he had. They would become a family.

It was a rocky start, only pushed along by competition and danger but eventually the Guardians grew to love Jack in their own ways. Bunny found that Jack was only trying to play that Easter so long ago, he wanted to be a part of the fun too, and he just got carried away. To Bunny, Jack was no longer a nuisance; he was someone who needed guidance and an older brother to keep him in line. Bunny became that brother.

For North, the man who made time for every child in the world was no longer annoyed by Jack. He saw the bright and curious teen as he was. The teen would forever more be a child and North found that all the teen needed was a little nudge to keep him strong; much like a father would for a son. North became Jack's father, for what better father for an eternal teen than Father Christmas?

Tooth, who always loved Jack's teeth, finally found that time for the rest of him too. The boy's heart was strong and caring; it showed strongly when he played invisibly with the children. It would take a mother's touch to make sure that caring nature continued to grow. The lady fairy would make sure she would be that mother.

And Sandy, the one who couldn't seem to reach the boy, the one who tried the hardest to be there, he was finally rewarded with seeing the teen curled up and fast asleep. Dreams filled with laughter and happiness finally got through and the devoted uncle tucked the boy in, silently wishing him sweet dreams.

Yes, all it took was one boy who was lost in the sea of time and turmoil to finally bring these four friends together, to finally make them a family.

The Man in the Moon couldn't have been more happy or proud of his Guardians, of his children.


	2. Chapter 2: Home is Where Your Heart is

Just a one-shot addition to the family feel of the last one. Enjoy!

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The Big Four, as they were called before Jack Frost joined them, each had a home, a place to call their own to work from and to return to when they needed rest. North had his workshop in Saintoff Clussen obviously. Who hasn't heard of Santa's magical toy shop? For Bunny it was his springtime Warren where he took care of his eggs. The Tooth Palace was Tooth's home as well as her fairies and Sandman had a floating sand-ship in the sky.

Jack had visited each and every one of them in the several years he had been their friend and stayed the night more than once but it wasn't till the middle of winter in the northern part of the world that Bunny noticed that they had yet to visit the place his little icy friend called home. They had all become close in the decades following that disastrous Easter with Pitch, somewhat like a family, brothers and sister standing tall as the first, last, and only line of defense for the children of the world. So it worried the large Pooka that he hadn't seen the place where Jack was most comfortable and at ease as hard as it was to imagine Jack _more_ at ease than he already was.

Bunny was cautious about bringing it up to his oldest friend, North. The man was loud and not too bright sometimes but Bunny couldn't deny that he could and would get the job done. Tooth would just fret and demand semi-empty promises, Sandy would just sit and 'talk' with the boy and hope to coax the answer out of him, and any conversation with Bunny himself would end in a playful argument and maybe a small tussle and/or race. So that left North as the best option.

"Hey, North, have you ever been to Jack's place?" the Easter Bunny asked carefully.

"No, cannot say that I have. Why you ask, my friend?" asked Santa in return, genuinely curious and somewhat dismayed as to the conversation topic.

"I haven't either. Why hasn't the frostbite asked us over?" Bunny murmured to himself.

"Why not we ask him?" North questioned as he put down his paperwork and left to find the Spirit of Winter.

They found Jack playing Frozen Elf Bowling with some yetis that had taken a break, Christmas had just ended after all so it was time to relax before they had to get really busy again.

"Jack! Just the person we want to see!" North called out, Bunny right beside him trying to not smile at how the elves seemed to love being frozen in odd poses and knocked down repeatedly. Jack perked up at seeing his friends and a smile played across his lips.

"Hey guys, wanna join in?" In the last sixty or so years, Jack had changed his outfit but not anything else. His smile was still bright and his laugh infectious with his ice-blue eyes sparkling with mirth that can only be seen from this particular Guardian and the children he protected. Even when the tattered brown pants were exchanged for durable jeans and the hoodie traded for a newer, darker blue one that seemed larger than the last as it seemed to swallow the teen yet still fit. The original Guardians didn't know where he got the outfit but they suspected that Jamie or one of his three sons gave the clothes to Jack.

"Maybe later." Bunny answered before North could. Jack just smiled and shrugged before rolling another elf down the frozen lane and yelled happily as he knocked each of the frozen elves down. The layer of frost that kept the elves from moving shattered and they hopped up to Jack and posed, begging to play again. North laughed at this with his hardy Russian roots showing before Bunny glared at him.

"Oi, frostbite?" the large rabbit called causing those ice-blue eyes to look his way, "I…uh, _we've_ been meanin' ta ask ya."Jack seemed to be surprised before a large playful smirk worked its way across his features.

"Is the kangaroo…_nervous_?" he asked with a laugh. North put a hand on Bunny's shoulder and took a step forward.

"What Bunny is meaning to ask is; why you not show us your home, Jack?" this caused the winter child to break out in loud and long laughter. The spirits of wonder and hope exchanged a glance. It was around then that Sanderson Mansnoozie, better known as the Sandman, floated in and glanced between the laughing boy and the two worried looking legends. After giving a silent greeting he went to stand in front of Jack and asked what was up.

"H-hey San-Sandy!" Jack said as he tried to contain giggles, "Can you believe these two asked where I live?" the frost child asked as he dissolved into a fit of laughter again. Sandy pouted, not at the question or even the laughing, he pouted because Jack obviously didn't see that this was a big deal to all of them. They _hadn't_ seen the boy's home and were naturally curious. After all their time together they should have seen _something_ but no. No invitation to stay the night, no place they knew for sure their youngest member would be when not out playing with the wind or with one of them, nowhere for the frost child to call home. Sandy was righteously indignant with this and in no uncertain terms let his feelings known to all who was watching.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Jack called when the pace of the sand images sped by too fast, though he did catch one thing, "What do you mean you haven't seen my place? You all saw it, I know you have." The three elder guardians showed surprise and confusion in various levels.

"Hey guys!" called a feminine voice, "Just checking in, haven't seen you in a month or more. Busy, busy, busy!" Toothiana, also known as the Tooth Fairy or Tooth for short, said as she zipped in seeing the situation. "Why are you all looking at Jack?" She asked, clearly confused.

"They say they've never seen my place, but I know they have." Jack explained.

"We haven't, sweet tooth. We've been waiting for you to show us but it's been at least thirty years."

"He say we seen! Then let us go see again!" North exclaimed, "To the sleigh!" For once, E. Aster Bunnymund didn't argue with that statement. In fact he was the first one to the launch bay. One short flight into Burgess later, the sleigh landed in the outskirts of the sprawling town.

"Okay, Jack, where is home?" North asked again. Jack, confused and dazed, sat there looking at each one of his friends.

"You really don't know? I thought…well, I guess it was more of a hope but still." Tooth gave Jack's shoulders a little squeeze.

"Whenever you wanna start makin' sense, frostbite." Bunny said irritably. Sandy and Tooth sent the large rabbit glares before all of them focused on Jack once more. Jack broke Tooth's hold on his shoulders and jumped out of the sleigh. He walked a few short feet away from them all and held his arms out as if to give a hug to the four of them at once.

"This is my home…I guess." Tooth looked at the woods around them before floating over to the boy.

"Well, it's a nice forest Jack but wouldn't you be happier with an actual home, you know so we all can visit you sometimes." Sandy was the next one by the boy's side. The little man flashed some symbols with the basic meaning of questioning the frost spirit.

"Why here?" Jack asked to make sure and got a nod from the golden man. Jack hooked his staff on a shoulder and rubbed the back of his neck. With a shrug the boy answered, "Because it's where I was born," he pointed with his staff at a lake, "right over there in fact."

"Ain't that the lake where Pitch went down?" Bunny asked as he hopped over to the small grouping, North not far behind.

"So that what you mean by we been here before!" the large man declared, happy with his discovery. Though Sandy didn't think this added up quite right. Jack didn't seem 'at home' here in the trees or on that lake. In fact the boy seemed more tense than ever, sure he hid it really well but you can't hide much from the perceptive dream weaver. The little golden man grabbed Jack's hand and led him to the lake, away from the others who smartly stayed where they were and looked around at the frosty forest. Once the duo made it to the shoreline of the frozen lake, Sandy turned to Jack and demanded the truth from his friend and family member.

Jack sighed and looked down at his new hooded jacket. The boy picked at one of the tassels hanging on his chest and then looked boldly into the Sandman's eyes. Sandy understood. There was only so much one can communicate with words and a couple of decades don't get rid of a three hundred year silence. Jack had learned to talk without saying anything and the master of silent speaking understood loud and clear.

The forest wasn't the boy's home…it was the jacket. His home was always with him therefore each and every one of them had in fact seen it, visited it, and even helped clean it when they could get it away from the irate boy. Jack was still getting used to the 'new home' but he was glad he had friends who would be there when home wasn't enough.

Sandy smiled at the frost child and nodded, it would be their secret. Jack smiled back, thankful to his golden friend. The two silently made their way back to the others where Sandy silently promised to the moon and stars above that their youngest brother would find a new home. Not within the folds of cloth or in the flakes of snow or even the breath of wind surrounding them, but with the Guardians, with his family.

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In addition...YAY FOR LINEBREAK FIGURE OUTNESS! *ahem* ok...well...yeah, hope you liked it!


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